Cosmetic container or the like



March 20, 1951 R. B. HoPGooD cosMETIc CONTAINER 0R THE LIKE Filed March 5, 1949 FIG. 3.

IN VEN TOR. R oaf/E r B. ,v0/6000 A T TONE YS FIG. 5.

f. YI,

Patented Mar. 20, 1.951

UNITED ISTATES PATENT OFFICE COSMETIC CONTAINER '0R 'THE "LIKE v.Robert B. Hopgood, Cheshire, Conn., assigner to The Eyelet Specialty Company, Waterbury, Conn., a. corporation of Connecticut Application -March5, 1949, Serial No. 79,874

1.1 Claims. l My invention relates to `cosmetic or vthe like containers, and in .particular to those containers in which a carrier for cosmetic or the like is propelled upon a relative rotation of two .parts of the container.

In cosmetic containers of the character indicated, it is important that the carrier lcup be retained in a retracted position as long as the closure cap `for the container is in a covering position. If the carrier should be projected while the cap is over the container, the inside of the cap may 'become soiled and the lipstick may be deformed. Such projection of the carrier may .be inadvertent, and it often occurs due solely to vibration or handling in shipment.

It is, accordingly, an object Yof the invention to provide an improved device vof the character indicated.

It is another -object to provide an improved means for retaining a carrier cup in its retracted position.

It is a further object to provide an improved means for retaining a carrier cup in a retracted position as long as the closure cap is over the container.

It is a specific object to meet the above objects with a simple -construction which requires no more parts than are conventionally employed and in which the propelling action may be substantally as free as heretofore.

Other objects and various further features of the :invention will be pointed out or will occur to those skilled in the art from a reading of the following specification in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In said drawings, which show, for illustrative purposes only, preferred forms of the invention- Fig. .1 is a side elevation in partial section of a cosmetic container incorporating features of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. l and showing an valternative construction;V

Fig. 3 is a side view of a cosmetic container and showing an additional feature which may be `.incorporated with the structure of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view in partial section, more cr less in the plane 4-4 of Fig. 3;

5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 for another relationship of the .parts shown in Fig. 4; and

Figa 6 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken lgenerally `in the plane 5 6 of Fig. 5.

-Briefly stated, my invention contemplates the application of a latch to resiliently holda particular longitudinal placement of `a carrier cup a.

ina lcosmetic container. The carrier cup may include an outwardly projecting lug or camfollower means and may be propelled by and within two relatively rotatable tubular members having diverging cam slots engaged by the camfollower means. Latch means may be carried by either of the tubular members, and in the forms to be ldescribed such latch means is formed directly out of the material of one of the tubular members in such a way as to have resiliently opposed freedom for movement relatively to the main body of the tubular member out of which it is formed, thus assuring no radial deformation of the tubular member, and therefore no impairment of close radial tolerances between tubular members, upon latch operation.

In form to be described, the latch is a resilient projection on the inner tubular member, the projection extending into the path of the camfollower means. In another form, the latch vis formed on the outer tubular member, which may be a sleeve with a spiral cam slot; the latch pro'- jection in this form may extend into the spiral slot. In a modified arrangement, dog means actuable upon a placement of a closure cap over the entire cosmetic container may `dog the latch means so as to prevent relative rotation of the two tubular members and thus positively to prevent propulsion of the carrier as long as the container is covered. In all forms, means may be provided to assure positively that latch operation will be unaccompanied by radial deformation of the tubular member out of which it is formed; this result may be realized by circumferentially continuous formation of the tubular member in the longitudinal vicinity of the latch or by means, such as an outer sleeve or tube, continuously radially confining the latching tubular member in the longitudinal vicinity of the latch.

In Fig. l, I show my invention as applied to a container, including a cosmetic carrier or cup l0 to be longitudinally propelled within the container. The cup I0 vmay include at its lowersend a cam follower II projecting generally radially outwardly. The carrier I0 may be propelled upon relative rotation of an inner tubular member or shell vI2 and of another tubular member or sleeve I3. Both tubular members I2-I3may have 'cooperating cam means to engage the cam follower I-Ii; in the form shown, .the cam on the inner shell I2 is a straight slot I, and the cam on the sleeve I3 is a spiral slot'l I5. The inner shell may be -formedwith'an enlarged bare por .tion I6 accessible for finger actuation, and the assembly may be completed by an outer tubular casing I1 which may be secured to the sleeve I3. When not in use, a closure cap I8 may be placed over the container` assembly. The parts which have thus far been described are old and well known and therefore form no part of my invention.

In accordance with the invention, I provide latch means on one of the tubular members to latch and thus to retain the carrier I@ in a given longitudinal position. In the present case, we are interested in retaining the carrier I in its lowermost or retracted position, and therefore my latch means is effective for such retracted position. In the form of Fig. l, the latch means is carried by the inner shell I2 and is formed flush with and out of the sheet material constituting the shell. tongue or lug I!! forming a generally longitudinally extending part of one wall of the slotv I and including a latch part 23 which may project into a position to intercept the cam follower' I I. I have found that, when using a resilient material such as sheet brass or sheet steel, a satisfactory resilient latching may be obtained to hold the cam-follower means il in its retracted position (shown by the dotted outline 2l) by merely utilizing the resilient properties of the material at a reduced section or neck 22; if this neck is sufficiently weak, the latch may be displaced withoutA resulting radial deformation of the tubular member I2, but to assure against loss of radial clearances upon latch operation I prefer that the tubular member I2 be circumferentially continuously confined in the longitudinal vicinity of the free end of the latch tongue I9, as by circumferentially continuously forming the tubular member l2 at the bottom of the slot I4.

In use, it will be clear that upon a relative rotation of the sleeve I3 and of the inner shell I2, the cam-follower means Il will first have to force the latch I9, and that thereafter the cup Ii! may be freely propelled in the conventional manner. Upon retraction, the action will again be free until substantially the end of retraction, when again the latch I9 must be forced in order resiliently to hold the retracted position.

In Fig. 2, I show an alternative spring-latch construction for a container similar to the container of Fig. 1. The sole diiference between the constructions of Figs. 1 and 2 resides in the provision of a spring latch 24 on the sleeve I3' instead of on the inner shell I2'. In Fig. 2, the spring latch (2li) is again formed out of the sheet material of the shell (IS) and a projecting part 25 of the spring latch is in position within the spiral slot I to intercept the cam follower II. Again, the resilient action of the latch 2d may be determined by the properties of the material and by the size of the reduced section or neck 26. The means circumferentially continuously confining the sleeve I3 in the longitudinal vicinity of the latch 24 will be understood to be the outer shell or casing I'F, and such confinement will be completely satisfactory, even for the usual rolled-up sleeve construction. It will be clear that, in use, the resilient action of the latch 2li of Fig. 2 may be essentially the same as that which characterizes the structure of Fig. l.

Thus far, I have disclosed only resilient latching means for holding the carrier Ill in retracted position, but in accordance with a further feature of the invention, I provide means for dogging the latch so as positively to prevent deliberate or other propulsion of the carrier IU as long as the closure cap I8 is placed over the container.

Such latch means may be a simple In Figs. 3, 4, and 5, I show such dogging means as applied to a latch of the kind shown in Fig. 2. The clogging means may comprise an outwardly bent lug 28, formed out of the material of the outer tubular casing 219, which, it will be recalled, is fixed to the sleeve I3. The lug 28 may be formed with a generally inwardly projecting portion or dog 30, normally held out of engagement with any part of the sleeve I3', but poised to dog the latch 2li. In the form shown, such clogging function may be accomplished when the dog projection 3U is forced radially inwardly between the latch 24 and the main body of the sleeve member I3', as by entry into the narrow passage 3l (see Figs. 3 and 6). Since the lug 28 is bent outwardly of the periphery of the outer tubular casing, it is in position to be engaged by the closure cap I8 as the cap I8 is forced down into its proper covering position. The action of the cap I8 may then be to cam the projection 28. and hence the dog 30, inwardly into dogging relation with't-he latch means 24. It will be clear that, when thus dogged, the latch member 24 may no longer be displaced resiliently and that the spiral cam slot I5 may thus be closed to the cam-follower means H, thereby preventing propulsion of the carrier Iii as long as the cap I8 is in place.

It will be clear that I have described a relatively simple means for resisting the propulsion of a lipstick carrier within its container, par-i ticularly while the closure cap is in place. In all forms that have been described, no additional parts are required over those required for conventional constructions, and the action may be free of any restriction, except, ofcourse, upon entering and leaving the latched positions.

While the invention has been described in con; siderable detail and preferred forms illustrated;l it is to be understood that various changes may be made within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

l. In a cosmetic container or the like, a carrier including cam-follower means, two relatively rotatable tubular members having cooperating cam slots to engage said cam-followerI means and to propel said carrier upon relative rotation', one of said members being integrally formed along one wall of its slot with a resilientl projection hush with the body of'said one member and poised to resiliently intercept said cam-follower means, whereby said projection may resilientl'y engage said cam-follower means without substantially radially deforming said one member, and dog means for said latch and including a displaceable part projecting radially outside said container, whereby upon placement of a closure cap on said container, said dog means may dog said latch and thus retain said carrier against actuation when said container is covered bij a closure cap.

2. In a cosmetic container or the like, a carrier having cam-follower means, an inner tubular shell with a longitudinally extending slot em# bracing said cam-follower means, a sleeve having a spiral slot embracing said cam-follower means, an outer tubular casing afxed to said sleeve', said sleeve having formed therein a resilient llatcli effective to resiliently retain said cam-follower means in one longitudinal position thereof, said outer tubular casing having formed therein a resiliently depressible outwardly bent lug with an inwardly projecting portion positioned lto dog said latch, and a closure cap to fit over said outer tubular casing, whereby when said closure cap is placed over said outer tubular casing said cap may effectively dog said latch.

3. In a cosmetic container or the like, a carrier including cam-follower means, two relatively rotatable tubular members having cam slots to receive said cam-follower means, one of said slots having a weakened resiliently displaceable wall portion near one end thereof, said wall portion being normally in the path of movement of said cam-follower means and thus poised to resiliently intercept said cam-follower means, and means including a dog actuable upon placement of a closure member over said container, said dog being engageable with said displaceable wall portion to hold the same against displacement as long as said dog is actuated.

4. In a cosmetic container of the character indicated, a carrier including an outwardly projecting lug, a tubular member in which said carrier is slidable, said tubular member having a generally longitudinally extending slot for said lug, laterally deformable latch means for said lug and formed out of said tubular member adjacent said slot, said latch means being normally in the path of movement of said lug and flush with the body of said tubular member, whereby latch operation may be substantially unaccompanied by radial deformation, and dog means for said latch and including means displaceable outwardly of said tubular member for cooperation with a closure member to be placed over said container.

5. In a cosmetic container or the like, two rela-l tively rotatable generally concentric tubular members having longitudinally diverging cam slots, a carrier with a cam follower engaging both said slots, and latch means formed out of the inner tubular member and including a lateral projection partially closing oi the slot space between walls of the cam slot in the inner tubular member, one of said walls in the longitudinal and lateral vicinity of said projection being weakened for resilient lateral movement upon a latching operation.

6. In a cosmetic container `or the like, two relatively rotatable generally concentric tubular members having longitudinally diverging cam slots, a carrier with a cam follower engaging both said slots, and latch means including a lateral projection partially closing off the slot space between walls of the cam slot of the outer of said tubular members, one of said walls in the longitudinal and lateral vicinity of said projection being weakened for resilient lateral movement upon a latching operation.

7. In a cosmetic container or the like, two relatively rotatable generally concentric tubular members, a carrier to be longitudinally propelled within said members and including radially projecting cam-follower means, relatively diverging longitudinally extending cam means formed in each of said members to cooperate with said cam-follower means, whereby said carrier may be propelled upon relative rotation of said tubular members, the cam means in one of said members comprising two laterally spaced generally longitudinally extending walls defining a slot for said cam-follower means, both said walls being ilush with the body of said one tubular member, a generally longitudinally extending latch tongue formed ilush with and integrally out of the material of said one tubular member and forming a longitudinally extending part of one of said walls near one end of said slot, said latch tongue including a lateral latch projection partially restricting the eiective opening of said slots and a. weakened neck portion, whereby said latch tongue may resiliently intercept a longitudinal movement of said cam-follower means, and whereby said latch may be resiliently operated without changing the radial dimensions of said one tubular member so that radial clearances between said members may be close and unimpaired by latch operation.

8. A cosmetic container according to claim 7, in which means in the longitudinal vicinity of said latch projection circumferentially continuously limit the body of said one tubular member against radial deformation.,

9. A cosmetic container according to claim 8, in which said last-defined means is a circumferentially continuous casing member circumferentially continuously embracing the main body of said one tubular member.

10. A cosmetic container according to claim 7, in which said one tubular member is circumferentially continuously formed at the end of said slot at which said latch projection is formed,

whereby the only deformative deflection possible upon a latch operation is a lateral movement of the free part of said tongue relatively to the main body of said one tubular member.

11. As an article of manufacture, one tubular member for use in a cosmetic container in conjunction with another tubular member to longitudinally propel a carrier upon relative rotation of the tubular members, said one tubular member comprising generally longitudinally extending laterally spaced walls dening a cam slot for engagement with a part of the carrier, one of said walls including a lateral projection partially closing off the slot space between said walls, one of said walls in the longitudinal and lateral vicinity of said projection being weakened for resilient lateral movement upon a latchingH operation, said weakened portion and said latch projection and said walls all being formed integrally out of and flush with the body of said tubular member, whereby said latch may be operated without radial deformation of the main body of said one tubular member, and whereby said one tubular member may concentrically cooperate with the other tubular member with a minimum of radial clearance.

ROBERT B. HOPGOOD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,695,625 Wild Dec. 18, 1928 1,732,875 Anderson Oct. 22, 1929 2,143,155 Kasdan Jan. 10, 1939 2,145,832 Hoiman Jan. 31, 1939 2,317,087 Reuther Apr. 20, 1943 2,491,775 Segal Dec. 20, 1949 

